Atlas Obscura: Beginnings
by Shslcardiologist
Summary: Why? Why didn't I listen when I had the chance? Now its to late to try to save him.
1. Chapter 1

"Child of light even now you still want to save him? after everything he's done?" "Yes"I said as best I could without cowering in a corner.(Hey you can't blame this is a god were talking about here

Hey there my names Lucy now you're probably wondering why i'm talking to arceus,It's a long story but i got plenty of time.

When I was 7, I decided I still had not decided whether i wanted to be a Pokemon trainer or a pokemon coordinator. When I was a bit more grown up, and when I had started Pokemon school, I decided that I didn't want to be like any old trainer. I wanted to be _special,_ important or maybe… i don't know but didn't want to be like everyone else.

But… Since I really _wasn't_ special, this meant that my Pokemon had to be. That initially got the ball rolling. I could go out and search for the rarest, most valuable Pokemon I could think of but in reality I knew that it would be a poor thing to waste my time on. So I was smart, for once in my life and would pick a regular Pokemon to be my starter, and just train like heck until it became special and strong and amazing things i could never dream to be

I spent most of my day thinking of what starter Pokemon i should pick. I didn't know what species it would be, but it would be strong , to say the least. I didn't want any old starter Pokemon, to be sure, but I needed something that would be easy to train. Eventually, as I aged, I stopped building up my Pokemon and instead concentrated on deciding which kind it ought to be.

I visited the library every day in search of a species, and then proceeded to research those I deemed 'interesting' on my own. Occasionally I would ask either of my parents about them, too.

"Mom, I want a mew." She nearly choked on the coffee she'd been drinking as she spat it out.

I gave up wanting a mew after that.

I made a list, so to speak, and whittled it down as I approached my tenth birthday. After several questions, such as the one above, my parents helped with this. They occasionally suggested,after shooting down one of mine a Pokemon. "How about a nice skitty? They're cute, and safe." I wasn't pleased with their selection.

"Can I have a milotic?"

"That would be a febas first. Why don't you want something like a sneasel?"

I didn't want a sneasel because they were dark, creepy little things, and they reminded me too much of my crazy guy with a chainsaw in a horror movie i watched before.

"I want an absoul."

"Those are too dangerous for trainers to start with. It could hurt you."

"some kids at school start out with them."

"Not often."

My list was slowly growing smaller as the day of my birthday grew nearer. In a way, I was able to appreciate this fortune, since it meant I had less to choose from. But it also meant just that-I had less to choose from!

"How about an magmar ? Those are pretty cool."

"Why not a nice pikachu?"

My parents (dad especially) seemed bent on giving me a very lame starter.

"A Ditto? This way, it can turn into any safe Pokemon you want."

"Yeah, and you wouldn't choose any of those."

Then, all at once, it was my eleventh birthday. Unlike many of my friends, I didn't get a starter as a gift-mostly because I hadn't decided on one. I was fine with this. If anything, it made me more excited. I announced my desire to start on my journey, and my parents gently rebuffed me. They said I needed more preparation-and, of course, to pick out a starter. I could see the logic in this at first, so I was content to wait and think.

"A _dragon_ Pokemon-that would be awesome!"

"They're expensive,Lucy. Why not something that's less violent ?"

"An Ekans?"

"It could bite you!"

As the months slowly passed, I was beginning to sense that my parents weren't exactly keen on letting me go.

"Can you two just draw up a _list_ of the Pokemon I can have? I'll pick from that!"

"That would be very difficult to do. Can't you decide on your own?"

Every time I suggested a Pokemon, however, either my mom or my dad would have some reason I couldn't have it. By then, I was more than frustrated. Especially because I was now over ten and a half; soon I would be eleven when I started training! Almost all of my friends were already off training, even a couple of the younger ones, and my parents were bent on keeping me at home for the rest of my life.

Then, it was two days before my eleventh birthday. I was getting my things together to run away at least my parents had been helpful in preparing material things for my journey. I was fully intent on it, too. I wasn't sure how I would get my Pokemon, but I would, and we would make an amazing team.

That was part of my plan, in fact I would be the best trainer or coordinator (still haven't decided yet) ever with only one Pokemon. it sounded fine If I only had one, I could spend all of my time training with that one, right? I could concentrate solely on it, and build up its strength until it could overpower any weaknesses it might have had.

but First I just had to get that Pokemon.

If I ever got the chance of course...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 how it all begins

Just as i finish packing the door behind me opened, I turned around very slowly, trying very hard to seem innocent. "Lucy what are you doing?" My innocent face must not have looked very… innocent. What to tell your mother when she just walked in on you packing to run away?

"…I don't know." I was not very creative, especially under pressure.

"Looks to me like you're packing for some sort of trip," she said suspiciously

I winced. "…Well, I _am_ almost twelve, you know. I should be gone, anyway."

"You don't have a Pokemon." damn you, logic!

"I'll have to find one."

"Where?"

"I'll buy one at the market."

There was a long-suffering sigh. I could return to packing; there was no successful verbal response to the mom sigh. After not winning with that, she walked over and sat on my bed, halting the packing process. "…With what money?" she asked quietly.

"Birthday money. Allowance." I _did_ have a little money saved up… "…Can I have my birthday money early?" It would only be two days.

"How about your gift instead?" With that, my mother set a pokeball on the covers and made it all the way to the door before I pounced on it. I was I thankful, because it meant I didn't have to spend my last dribbles of cash on a Pokemon! but I was also suspicious. I _knew_ what kind of Pokemon my mother had wanted for me. If she was so eager to get away, it only made me suspect her more.

Not wanting to get saddled with a bulbsuar or jigglypuff, and holding her still at the door in a one-armed hug, I tossed the pokeball to the floor.

The my mind came crashing to the ground as I recognized the creature. Dull blue, with a large fin on the top of its head, nestled between round, twitching ears… A bland, disinterested gaze, black-rimmed. Four blunt, stubby legs, holding up a dense mass of faded blue. The Pokemon turned its head to one side and regarded me with a lidded expression.

"… _Really_?"

"Yes, really. Your father and I think a mudkip would be a wonderful starter Pokemon. Its water -type, so you get your element of danger-which you seem to need.-

"…But… _really_?" I repeated, with more than a bit of desperation.

"Yes, really," she replied firmly.

And that was how I got my Mudkip.

;D;D

I set out soon after that. I was not exactly enthused with a _Mudkip_ of all Pokemon, but I continually cheered myself up. After all, that had been my grand master plan, right? I was going to take an ordinary Pokemon well...it is a starter but who cares I was still going to make it extraordinary! I could still do this! I would still do this!

Every time I got enthusiastic or excited, however, (for it was much easier to encourage in battle by the name of 'atlas ', than 'Pedestal'; plus I could avoid many more weird looks this way)it would once again remind me that I had been foolish to place it in the spotlight. It atlas never was excited, and usually gave me a few bruises as it would use water gun on my feet out from under me with its head. It took a few weeks for me to figure out that this Pokemon's only sign of affection rare happy little "mu!", atlas obscura didn't do much of anything.

I had been expecting an awesome Pokemon that obeyed me perfectly, rejoiced at every battle won, resolved to get stronger with every one lost, and was my best friend. I couldn't see myself becoming best friends with atlas obscura, simply put. Mudkip were pretty boring Pokemon to begin with, and mine seemed doubly so.

A month has gone by and i learned a lot .

The first thing I learned was which foods rotten quickly and which would stay fresh. (I found myself eating a lot of ramen hey what can i say it's good like seriously.) atlas obscura picked out its favorite foods as well, usually by snatching bites of mine. One _good_ thing about having my Mudkip: I never had to waste any water or time looking for some, Instant cooking water!

Another very important thing I learned was that shoes were not there to look good or to match with anything. They were there to keep your feet from murdering you in your sleep. A week in, atlas obscura accidentally soaked my tennis shoes beyond repair, which gave me the excuse to go buy some proper hiking boots. With arch support. I think it was the nicest thing Atlas had ever done for me, even if it was an accident. Even after a short week, I'm pretty sure I would have had to cut off my feet if I had to walk any further in those things.

It was the same with my clothes. They didn't have to look good(I was still in my school uniform for crying out loud!). I was more intent on keeping warm and dry after just a few days than impressing anyone.

The third thing I learned was that atlas obscura, as I had only one, didn't spend much time in its pokeball. atlas obscura liked to walk beside me as we traveled-even if it was slower than a sleeping Snorlax.

That brings me to my next point-and possibly the most important. atlas obscura did _not_ like water(which is kind of weird since atlas is a water pokemon). He wouldn't swim, or bathe past licking itself or rolling in mud (which seemed to defeat the purpose, I know, but it kept atlas obscura happy), and whenever it rained, we would have to seek refuge under trees or in a cave. Actually, okay, this happened only twice, the fact that we found a handy cave. Most times, I just had to return atlas into its pokeball.

This, more than anything else, made me realize for the first time that my Mudkip was a water Pokemon according to my PokeDex, when mudkip evolved it would also be a part ground type. That meant that it was _doubly_ weak against grass Pokemon.

I kept this in a far-off place in my mind, since, while it rained often (or maybe it's just bad luck), there weren't a lot of grass Pokemon in the area. The nearest river was miles away, and I never had to get any water from it or any ponds, thanks to the rain. We were set, it seemed. atlas obscura would contentedly train while soaking fire Pokemon and small rodents and birds, and I would praise him after each and every victory. Especially the trainer ones. We got lucky with those, too, since the trainers in the area seemed to be mostly fire- and rock-trainers.

Then, I made a mistake.

This mistake cost me half of my money, a large chunk of my pride, and atlas obscura's trust for a few days. But more importantly, it cost me my peace of mind.

And what kind of mistake was it you ask?

I found a trainer with a grass Pokemon.


	3. Chapter 3

chapter 3 My first mistake

"Umm, hello."

I hadn't been expecting a Obscura and I had been eating our lunch, munching on whatever we found that day. I dropped my sandwich, whereas my mudkip just looked up with its same bored expression.

There was a trainer standing behind me. At first, I honestly thought he was a girl, because of the blush and shy expression.

"Do you know where we are?" the trainer asked, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

"Why are you wearing that hat?" I asked instead. The grey didn't match with anything, really, unless his whole theme was grey. Come to think of it, he wasn't exactly wearing any _bright_ colors. The brightest he got was a green stripe on the sweater. "You're very shady looking."

The trainer was no longer shy and blushing at that point. "What?!"

"Your clothes. They're so…dull. Where are you from, anyway? Some ghost town?" I was actually curious; I hadn't met any foreign trainers yet.

"I'm from Kanto, if you must know. Lavender Town. I don't see how you're in a position to point out my fashion errors, anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean…?"

"You look like you just rolled out of bed." Actually, I pretty much had. "You're a rookie, aren't you?" he asked suddenly.

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes. Was it that obvious?" "…A maybe. I wouldn't say _new_ , really, but-"

"I knew it." He laughed, placing his hands on his hips. "You must be a newbie. That Mudkip is probably your only Pokemon, isn't it?"

"So what? I can whip any of your Pokemon!"

Atlas Obscura looked up at the sound of its name, chewing slowly on another berry. "…Mu?"

"Is that a fact?" Now, the other trainer seemed smug. That only ticked me off more. "I have a team of six Pokemon. You only have one."

"One on one, then!" Looking back, okay, maybe I _was_ feeling a little cocky. Or maybe I just wanted to beat something. Atlas Obscura was already level 13, or so said the PokeDex, and we could easily beat most of the wild Pokemon in the area with one blow at that point. (Yes, we needed to move on. We were going to. Eventually.)

"Fine then! Go, Ra!" Quicker than I could react to, the other trainer had reached down to his belt and pulled one off.

"Ra-?"

Ra turned out to be a charmander i quickly took out my pokedex and let it scan it The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely. I had seen them before, but usually they were happy, skittish, and loved to burn things. This one… seemed to be a match for Atlas Obscura when it came to interest given to the situation. The lizard Pokemon surveyed the scene regally, deeming it all below it, apparently. It was spoiled, too, I could tell, because of the golden fire around its tail.

"I won't use my strongest on you. Since I'm such an awesome, gracious trainer and all," the boy said airily, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh yeah?! Go, Atlas"

Atlas did no such thing. It continued to finish up its meal instead. I heard a howl of laughter and turned to see that the other trainer was literally rolling on the ground, laughing. "Your mudkip doesn't even _listen_ to you! How long have you been training, kid? A week?"

By that time atlas had finished eating, and lumbered over to the playing field. It twitched its round ears, staring at the charmander .Ra stared back, albeit with much more dignity.

"Yeah, well-Atlas use water gun " I shouted. The mudkip did something that might have been a nod, and brought its forelegs down into the ground. Atlas then shot out what seem to be surf I saw the other trainer get tossed into the air like a rag doll. The charmander fared even worse. By the time I got back up-I had been knocked down as well, because, come on, it was the _ground shaking_ and water was every where-the fiery charmander was lying on the ground, barely conscious.

"Ra!" The other trainer gave a very feminine squeal, rushing over to his fallen Pokemon. The charmander gave a weak cry just before it was returned in a beam of red light.

"Ha! Who's the newbie now, hmm? You can use another Pokemon in the battle, if you'd like, Mr. Hotshot. Atlas won't mind. Maybe you'll be able to get in a move this time-"

Much like how I had taken advantage of his laughing to launch my first move, the other trainer tossed another pokeball and shouted, "Go, Kyu! Mega drain!"

My head snapped around, ego gone. I knew what grass would do to my mudkip. "Dodge, Atlas!" I yelled, in a much higher voice than I would've liked. It was too late, however. Mudkip were not fast Pokemon, after all.

The little bulbasaur on the opposite side of the arena let out a fierce blast of energy from its mouth. Atlas went over like a sack of potatoes. It then mumbled something and held its head, sighing. "…Bulb ba?" it asked its trainer.

"Good job, Kyu. You can return now." He called back his second Pokemon as well, and then walked over while I was trying to find Atlas pokeball. It was in my backpack somewhere, I knew, but just where… I wasn't aware of his presence until he spoke again. "You know, you would have won that battle if you hadn't let your ego get in the way."

"Yeah, so?" I knew that.

"Hand over half your money."

"Here," I grunted, handing him a fistful of bills.

"Thanks." He didn't bother counting it, and just pocketed it instead. I finally found Atlas Obscura's pokeball, and returned the unconscious Mudkip. This was the first battle we'd ever lost. Mostly because we had gotten lucky, with a lot of weak wild Pokemon and few other trainers. "Soctt."

"Huh?"

"Don't you want to know the name of the trainer who beat you?" he asked with an evil smile. "And you know what? I hadn't even wanted to battle you in the first place. I was only wanting directions."

That was really a kick when I was down. Literally, too, since I was still kneeling by where Atlas had fallen, and Scott was standing over me. He probably wasn't that much taller than me-if at all-but he sure seemed to enjoy the height difference now. I pointed over to where the path continued behind me. "…That way is to Veilstone City."

"Thanks," he said, still with that evil smile.

And just like that, he left, and I had lost my first battle.

Sigh I feel guilty having Lucy lose her first battle so early on in the story any way disclaimer time

I do not own pokemon in any shape or form it would have been a lot better If I did

any way that's all there is for today so read and review


	4. Chapter 4

What should my second Pokemon be? I wasn't sure. I knew it had to be something that could easily take out a grass Pokemon. There were two types that came to mind when I wanted an advantage over grass: fire and electricity. There might've been others, but I wasn't an expert. Both grass and electricity had their advantages and weaknesses, of course, and I had to try to figure out something that wouldn't have any weaknesses that Atlas Obscura couldn't take care of.

The solution was simple, or so I thought: a grass Pokemon. They were weak primarily against fire types ,the only problem is that I don't have a fire type

The more I thought about it, too, the more I liked the idea. A grass Pokemon would be good. Between the two of them, I could cover almost all types easily. It also meant I could participate in double battles, too! It was that thought, more than anything else, that made up my mind for me.

"The trainer with the Mudkip-he's done!" the Nurse Joy called. At first, I completely ignored her. I was not only lost in my plans for the future, but I had associated Atlas with 'it' for far too long, over a month already. "…Whose Mudkip was this?" she tried again, this time succeeding in catching my attention.

"Oh! My Mudkip!" I stood up, earning a few laughs . No doubt they were thinking I was some dumb rookie trainer (which I probably was ) . Well, I would show them-not just those snotty elitists -that I wasn't! I was going to be the next big thing, after all.

"Here he is," Nurse Joy said with a smile, rolling the pokeball across her desk. I caught it, eyes drawn towards it.

"…He."

"Yes, he. Oh, did you not know your Mudkips gender?"

No, I hadn't. But I already had the attention of more than one eavesdropper, so I wasn't going to admit that out loud. In past Centers, I hadn't had to deal with this sort of thing; I would usually eagerly wait at the counter for Atlas Obscura to finish being healed, and Nurse Joy usually handed it-him-back over with a "here you go" and a smile.

Good thing I hadn't picked a feminine name.

"Oh, of course I did. I just didn't hear you," I lied, rolling his pokeball back and forth between my hands on the counter. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. But-I have a question before I leave."

"Oh? I'd be happy to help!" she chirped, the Chansey at her elbow nodding vigorously as well.

"What kind of grass Pokemon live in these parts?"

"Hmm…" She tapped her chin, thinking for a moment. "Well… There's almost always Budew about. They're probably going to be your best bet, since they're so common. Also… Sometimes, trainers come in with a Sunkern or a Seedot or a wurmple. But I'm afraid those three are the only ones that come to mind."

"Thank you."

None of those three sounded particularly attractive. They all evolved into something else-didn't they?-but I didn't fancy having to play with baby Pokemon until that happened. I wanted something that was strong right away. After all, if Atlas couldn't fight against grass Pokemon, we would be handicapped against grass type trainers.I wanted a quick fix to that problem.

As I left the Pokemon Center, I figured I had just two choices. Well, three, really, but I already dismissed training up either a Budew, Sunkern or Seedot. My remaining two: buy one from a breeder or travel onward and hope for the best or find a wurmple.

I did have a fair amount of money, even after that trainer beat me. I wasn't sure it would be enough for a _good_ grass Pokemon, though, and I did have to save some for food and medical supplies. Although, on the other hand, traveling and hoping not to run into any water Pokemon was equally unappealing.

Come to think of it, I didn't even know that a good grass Pokemon would be. It probably would be a good idea to get a list of prospective additions to my team…

"Hey, Atlas Obscura Here's the problem we have." We were back near where the other trainer had battled us; it was where we were comfortable, even with the loss. Plus, most of the wild Pokemon left us alone there. I guess it was our 'territory'. "We need another Pokemon. A grass one. But… The ones around here suck, and they're weak, and they're not terribly cute, either. We want something that looks good next to you, right?"

"…Mu," Atlas replied blankly.

I was used to his dull replies, so I just continued talking. "Right. So we either have to blow our money buying one, or we travel somewhere else to try catching one. Or I suppose we could always steal someone else's-"

Just then, the most bizarre thing happened. Atlas let out a snort of mist and stomped on the ground with one foreleg. This alone caught my attention, but then as I turned to him, he spat out a small water gun. At me.

By the time I had realized what just happened, my jacket was soaked nicely. With a yelp and nearly tripping over my feet. Atlas Obscura sauntered-over to where I was on my hands and knees, feeling betrayed. "Mudkip."

I turned to him. He stared back, eyes lidded.

Not only had I just been attacked by my own Pokemon, it had been the first display of serious emotion from the usually listless Mudkip. He had been angry. _Angry_. At me-presumably because I'd jokingly (well, only _kind of_ ) suggested stealing someone else's Pokemon…

"…You have your own code of honor, huh?" I asked, offering a shaky smile. Atlas bobbed his head, round ears twitching.

"Mu!" Now that I was open to the fact that he did, indeed, have emotions, I could see a bit of smugness in his eyes. Though he still looked rather dull. Okay, _really_ dull, but I would just have to get used to that. After all, we were a team. Atlas Obscura was my first Pokemon, and nothing would ever change that, another Pokemon or not.

But that 'another Pokemon' was still definitely needed if we wanted to survive in the real world. If we could actually survive.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 My second pokemon

The next day, I dug out my list. It was _the_ list, really. The one I had used to (or tried to) pick my starter Pokemon. I read the whole thing out loud to atlas, watching carefully for any sign of a reaction. There weren't any. It didn't occur to me that he might not know what any of those species were; if I, a twelve-year-old girl, knew them, I thought that he ought to know them, too. Professional courtesy, you know?

Of course, the grass Pokemon on the list were few and far between. I hadn't realized how much I had leaned towards the 'better' types (or more offensive, anyway) until then.

"…oddish…"

That was it. oddish was the only grass Pokemon (that I knew of) that I liked, barring evolutions. That gave me an entire new array of problems. I _did_ have a soft spot for Victreebel, but that meant I would have to train a Bellsprout up _two_ evolutions. I didn't have that kind of time or money. There was also the grass evolution of Eevee, but again, it was an _evolution_ , and Eevee were rare and expensive, anyway.

Come to think of it, oddish weren't exactly running around everywhere, either.

I hung my head in defeat. If it weren't for Atlas Obscura, I actually _might_ have seriously been stealing a Pokemon. (well tried to at least) I didn't have the time or patience to deal with some lame baby grass Pokemon, especially if it was one I was unfamiliar with. I didn't want to get saddled with something that didn't evolve into sheer awesome.

"A Treecko might be kind of cool," I mumbled to myself. No such luck; I wanted a cool Pokemon, and I would get one. A Treecko would not do. None of the grass starters were really that strong, either, until their second or third evolution. "Argh! I don't have _time_ for this!"

Huffing, I jumped to my feet, grabbed my stuff, and turned to Atlas Obscura. He merely tilted his head to one side, offering nothing.

"Come on, Atlas! We're going on a grass hunt. I don't care if it takes us years or spans continents, I am getting that grass Pokemon!"

Maybe my words were a little rash and untrue. I didn't intend on spending _years_ hunting for a specific Pokemon. Nor did I want to go on a world travel trip. I just _really_ wanted this search to be over so training could begin.

Atlas and I first headed back to Jubilife City. It was a fairly large city, after all, and was the television capital of the country. There could be advertisements for breeders selling grass Pokemon; I could get lucky.

There certainly was _some_ sort of luck with us that day. We weren't in the city for ten minutes before a battle successfully halted us. although we weren't challenged, and we didn't challenge anyone-if anything, we were simply, innocent bystanders, caught in the crossfire.

A pair of trainers were battling just outside the Pokemon Center. One was a girl, probably just a few years older than me, and the other was a boy, probably about the same age. It looked as if the battle had just started.

The girl, black hair pinned to the back of her head and red eyes flashing, shouted, "neo! Ice Fang!" The turtle like pokemon jumped in front of her jumped forward and sunk its teeth into its opponent, some sort of green, four-legged Pokemon with a large flower on its back. The other Pokemon gave a yelp of distress, trying to shake it off, but to no avail.I quickly took out my pokedex to the foreign pokemon Wartortle the turtle pokemon It is said to live 10,000 years. Its furry tail is popular as a symbol of longevity. woah to bad I already have a water type pokemon I could really use a pokemon like that,I turned to the other pokemon to let it scan the other pokemon(well tried to at least)data unknown it read. Dang it im going to have to get this thing fixed.

"Chill, Molly. Use a Razor Leaf," the male trainer said. He seemed utterly relaxed, whereas the other trainer was stomping her foot in frustration. The green Pokemon-a _grass_ Pokemon, I realized with some glee-let out a barrage of sharp leaves, right into the mouth and face of the wartortle. It let go immediately, paws flying to its face.

"Water Gun!" The grass Pokemon jumped out of the way, but the irate wartortle doggedly followed it. By now, more than just Atlas and I were watching, so we continually had to push and shove to get back to the front. I didn't want to miss this battle. Not only was it pretty cool to watch, but it had a grass Pokemon! It seemed strong, and it looked really cool, too. I _needed_ to find out what it was.

The grass Pokemon still dodged, further annoying the water one-and its trainer. "Ugh-neo, use Water Pulse!"

The wartortle nodded and jumped in the air, landing with a splash, though there was no water-just then. It created its own puddle, which grew until it was a small wave, heading out in a perfect circle from it. The grass Pokemon looked right and left, worried, and was finally hit. It tumbled over, trying to get back up, but it's flat feet prevented it from getting much traction on the slick concrete.

Most of the crowd was backing up, too; the water attack didn't end with it finding its target. It was only knee-high, though, so there wasn't much panic.

Except for Atlas Obscura and I.

With an undignified squeak, I hastily bent down to pick him up, My skirt and shoes were soaked by the attack. It hurt more when I fell over with Atlas Obscura landing on top of me than from the actual Water Pulse. Still, my Mudkip was still conscious, which was good. Even if we were next to a Center, I didn't want either of us to miss the potential partner.

"Atlas -get off-" He immediately waddled off of me, and much-needed oxygen flowed back into my body. I sat up, groaning, not only because of the bruise that probably left, but because the wet ground did a pretty good job of making it look like I had just got pushed into a pool.

"Muu," Atlas said happily, head-butting me. He was either laughing at me or thanking me. I wasn't sure which.

"…Say,Atlas , what do you think of that grass Pokemon there? It's pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Mu."

"I'm serious. We need to get one."

"Mud-kip." He was eyeing the grass Pokemon-who had retaliated against the Wartortle by putting it to sleep and was still sliding around awkwardly on the wet ground-with what appeared to be disdain. Of course, with a lidded expression like he usually wore, it could have been love at first sight. I might've been open to the fact that he had emotions, but it didn't mean I knew what they _were_.

The battle ended when the wartortle woke up and planted an Ice Fang on the grass Pokemon's flower, just as it released another barrage of razor-sharp leaves. It was a double knockout. The crowd slowly dispersed, but only the non-trainers left right away. The veterans stayed behind to congratulate the two on a good battle, whereas the younger, newer trainers stood by awkwardly to ogle the trainers with open awe and admiration.

"So, you done being angry now?" the boy trainer asked of his female opponent. She crossed her arms and looked away from him with a huff. "C'mon,Tris, lighten up…"

Only a few trainers were left once the crowd figured out that the battle had started over a personal dispute. Those were usually best left alone. I was not deterred, however, and marched straight up to the blond boy. Atlas Obscura stayed a safe distance behind me, still wary of the wartortle, even if it was unconscious. He only ventured closer when the girl returned it. "Excuse me-"

Both of them turned to me expectantly. I hesitated, but then steeled myself. If I didn't find out the identity of that grass Pokemon, I might be stuck as a skittish, wary-of-water trainer for the rest of my life.

"What was that grass Pokemon you used?"

"…Another greenhorn, huh," the boy remarked, grinning lazily.

"I thought that was Molly nickname," the girl said scathingly before I could reply.

"Well, it's more of a title, really, and she's been training long enough not to-"

"Excuse me, the Pokemon?" Personal disputes were not one to get mixed up in in the Pokemon world, even if it was accidentally. I already felt uncomfortable being called a 'greenhorn'-whatever that was-and listening to the girl's snappish comments. "That's all I want to know…"

"Is that your Mudkip?" the boy asked, once again not answering my question. He nodded down to Atlas Obscura , who was pressed up against my wet leggings, watching them all guardedly. "No wonder you want a grass Pokemon. Sorry, kid, but Molly's not up for sale or trade."

"I didn't want to offer!" I said hotly, madder at not thinking of trading before, rather than his assumption. "I just wanted to know the species of, uh, Molly."

"Oh. Is that all?" Yet again, he had not answered me. He rubbed the back of his head. "Ivysaur. Second evolution of Bulbasaur, greenhorn. Good luck finding one in Sinnoh, though; they're pretty rare in these parts. You'd be better off catching a native grass Pokemon."

The problem was I didn't _want_ a native grass Pokemon; they all sucked. Still, I had a name to work with now, and knew that they were from Kanto. Almost as importantly, I had now been reminded of the prospect of a trade. Maybe I could catch a Pokemon from around here and trade for a Bulbasaur-or an Ivysaur!-with the GTS or something. An Ivysaur _did_ need to be evolved, though, which was a bit off-putting. Still, it seemed worth it. (And it wasn't as if I had many other choices to choose from.)

"Uh, thanks, but I think I'll try tracking down an Ivysaur…" I started to back away, mostly because of the evil glare the girl had turned on the boy. Their argument was far from over with, and the battle didn't appear to have done much to help. Atlas Obscura had stuck himself so firmly to my leg, though, that I managed to trip, falling down for the second time because of him.

The older trainers both laughed, offering to help me up. I had my pride,straining my white beanie i got up and slunk off with Atlas in his pokeball before more misfortune could befall me.

An Ivysaur, huh? I could do that. I either needed to buy one from someone-if they were the evolution of a Kanto starter, it couldn't be _that_ expensive, right?-or catch something to use as trade fodder. I felt a bit better about the first choice, though, since it didn't entail a third wheel, so to speak.

"Mu," Atlas said blandly, twitching his round ears.

"Yeah, let's go. We need to find an Ivysaur." The Ivysaur was then placed precariously on its lofty pedestal as we merrily went into the Center.

;D ;D ;D

"Hi, I'm looking for an Ivysaur."

"Beat it, kid. I'm only trading for a Lucario." I didn't even know what a Lucario _was_.

"Um, hello, I saw your ad on the television for your Ivysaur-?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. But I already sold him…" It had been out of my price range, anyway.

"So, you're a breeder? Have any Bulbasaur or Ivysaur?"

"I don't deal wi' evos, but I don't got a Bulba, either. Sorry." I didn't want one from you, anyway; I was worried it would have caught your accent.

"What do you want for your Ivysaur? I can trade."

"I doubt you'd have what I'm looking for. Sorry, newbie." I didn't want to deal with elitists, either.

Still, as the week wore on, I was coming nearer and nearer to an irrevocable truth. I would not be getting an Ivysaur so easily. Even after I had lowered my standards to accept Bulbasaur, every offer I made was flatly refused. Since I was in the city, too, it meant that I wasn't battling; my money was dwindling with every meal ingested. I doubted I could even get a magikarp _egg_ for what change was left in my pockets.

Spirits trailing in the dirt behind me, I made my way slowly back to the Pokemon Center. If I hadn't gotten a free room there, I probably would have been broke long ago. There was that small thing to be thankful for.

I didn't have it in me to go out, battle more, and come back with money, just to be denied again. I knew I didn't have the courage for that, and I only had enough money for another day or so of food. Plus, the Pokemon Center's free room deal only lasted a week. I would be booted out tomorrow night, regardless of how much money I had.

I hadn't even let Atlas out at all that day. I was too down in the dumps, and I didn't need to be trying to figure out his dull expressions and moods. Plus, I doubted he would have helped much. I might have been able to get a trade offer with him, but regardless of how bland and emotionless he was, I would never, _ever_ trade him away. Without Atlas, needing a grass Pokemon was a moot point, anyway.

"Hey, you look pretty sad, there." I looked up at the voice. It was a man sitting cross-legged in front of a cardboard box, dressed in the most bizarre getup I had ever seen. It was all bright colors and patches, it seemed. Underneath an old lab coat. He grinned at me. I tried to grin back, but I must have failed pretty badly, because his own smile faltered and finally fell. "Ouch. Have a bad day?"

"To say the least."

"I know what would make you feel better."

"Oh really." To say I didn't believe him would be an understatement. A _big_ understatement. I might be one to get my hopes up about Pokemon, but I had no illusions about humans, and I was not naïve. Well, not completely naïve. "Unless you have an Ivysaur under that cape of yours-"

"Nope, nope. I don't deal with Kanto Pokemon; they're too nasty and high-strung. How about a Sinnoh Pokemon? I can guarantee you it was caught here."

"No thanks. I'm broke, anyway."

"C'mon, kid. Turn that frown upside-down!"

I set my backpack down and then stood on my hands for him. "Happy now?" I asked, just before I wobbled and fell.

"I'm not the one who needs to get happy," he replied, though I could hear the smile in his voice. "You are. You said something about an Ivysaur? Why d'you want one of those? They're not a dime a dozen in these parts."

"I need an awesome grass Pokemon for my team. I have a Mudkip, so he's really, _really_ weak to grass attacks, and a grass Pokemon would not be weak against them." I got up again, dusting myself off, trying hard not to wince. There, I had just earned another bruise or two. Pretty soon, I would be one giant bruise.

"If you want a grass Pokemon-I have just the thing!"

"No thanks."

"But look! It's amazing!" Before I could stop him or protest, he had tossed a pokeball out in front of him. A small, squat, ugly red thing with the nastiest scowl I had ever seen appeared. I backed up a couple of steps; it looked that ferocious. "See? Fresh-caught, and on Sinnoh land, too. Not some elitist Kanto starter."

"It's…" What would be a good word to describe the nasty little thing sitting on the box? Ugly? No-if given a bath and if it smiled, maybe it would have been another cute, useless little grass Pokemon. Mean? To say the least. "It looks a little… scary."

"Aw. Haven't you ever seen a wurmple before? They all look like this."

There was a whole _species_ of Pokemon that looked that malicious? I backed up another few steps, in case it had some sort of disease with its 'I'm going to bite you soon' look. "N-No, I haven't…"(okay really i didn't even know what they looked like had i know before i would have never suggested it).If it came down to it, I could always release Atlas and have him soak it, in case it tried to attack…

"Well, I can guarantee you that my Elly is the nicest, cutest, most well-behaved wurmple in all of Sinnoh. She's even talented! Watch. Elly, dance, sweetie!"

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or run screaming at that point.

Suddenly, the wurmple turned back to me and did something that could have been a bow. As it raised its-well, her-face back up, the scowl had transformed into the brightest, most cheery smile I had ever seen on a Pokemon. (I was approaching terrified at that point.) She then hopped on her stubby little paw three jumps to the left, and then another three back right. She twirled-at least the -and then did a flip to complete the dance number.

"Well? How d'you like Elly?"

Elly now had the silent snarl back on her face, glowering at me, daring me to reply. I instinctively grabbed Atlas pokeball, holding it in front of me like a shield.

Then, the most horrible thing yet happened. This was more horrible than getting a Mudkip as a starter a year late, or losing so horribly to that bulbasaur, or even wasting a week trying to find an Ivysaur.

The man returned Carlita with one hand, back into her pokeball, and then reached forward to pluck Atlas's pokeball from my hands. "A trade? I'm down with that. A Mudkip, huh? Good trade. Thanks, kid."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 A new member to the team

I stared down at the pokeball in my hands. It was cool to the touch, unlike Atlas', which was almost always cold . Though it was exactly the same size and probably the same weight, it felt blasphemous to be holding that pokeball instead of my Mudkip's.

"H-Hey!" I said, but it came out as hardly more than a squeak. I didn't _want_ this angry little Wurmple who could dance. I wanted Atlas . My head snapped up, glare at the ready-but the man was no longer behind his cardboard box. "Hey!" This time, it was definitely louder, but came out much more shrill than my usual voice. A few passerby turned and stared.

I looked around, and spotted a tattered lab coat disappearing through the crowd. I leapt to my feet and ran blindly in that direction, heart pounding in my ears. Atlas-my very own Pokemon-had just been taken from me. Stolen. Well, traded, but it was not a trade I had agreed to. That made it illegal in my eyes, as illegal as murder or treason.

"Stop!" I shouted desperately, trying to push my way past pedestrians while keeping his fleeing back in my line of sight. He wasn't a track star if an twelve-year-old girl was keeping up with him, "Stop! Thief!"

That, more than my feeble attempts with "stop!", got people's attention. Several heads turned in time to see a man and girl run by, but they were too late to do anything, really. Unless one of them called the police or something. The sidewalks got more crowded the further downtown we got, until finally, it was all but impassable. It was the rush hour, after all, so it was packed everywhere. This was when my smaller size lent me the advantage; I could slip past people more easily than he could.

"Thief! Stop him!" I kept yelling, if only to attract attention; maybe some curious bystander would get in _his_ way in order to see what _I_ was yelling about. It was worth a try.

Eventually, he gave up on the sidewalks and ran into the road. The cars were moving pretty slowly, since it was nearly packed, but the man nearly got run over all the same. I followed him without a second thought, though I entered the street in front of a stopped car at least. He ducked behind a taxi and made it to the other side; I had to jump onto a hood in order to keep him in sight. The man ran into a department store. This was both good and bad; it meant that I could raise a ruckus inside, where there was a greater chance of someone stopping both of us, but it also meant that there were more places to hide.

I darted into the store just as I saw his white lab coat disappearing up the escalator. "Someone stop him!" I yelped, not pausing to point him out to anyone. At this point, I was doing little more than screaming and running. Even if someone else stopped him, I wasn't going to give up; I wanted at least one kick at his face for taking Atlas in the first place.

By the time I reached the next floor, a scuffle had broken out. Panting, I reached the top of the escalator. The man in the patchwork clothes was pinned to the ground, though still struggling, by another man. One knee dug into the thief's back, and one hand was working furiously to free the pokeball-Atlas' pokeball-from his grip. Both of them were yelling, and already other shoppers were gathering, whispering among themselves.

"Get off of me! This is assault, assault!"

"Let go of the pokeball and maybe I won't break your fingers!"

"You all heard that-assault! Threatening me! He's- _ow_!"

"Let go of the pokeball."

I kept a cautious distance, half-hiding behind a pair of shopping women. Now, though the man who'd stolen Atlas was successfully halted, I was even more afraid. The man who'd caught him seemed scarier. Who cared if he seemed to be helping me? He looked ready to kill-and I didn't know him. He seemed murderous strangers that my parents always warned me about.

"Has someone called the police yet?" one of the shopping women asked in a low voice, nervously glancing at the scrap.

The other nodded. "Oh, yes, I saw a couple of girls do it when he first tackled him."

Then, the man pinned to the ground, the thief, finally let go of the pokeball. It rolled away from his fingers, just a few inches, but so that he had no chance of grabbing it again unless he threw his assailant off. By a happy coincidence, it had actually rolled a bit closer to me.

By another slightly happy coincidence, the two women in front of me-who I couldn't get past without alerting them-decided to leave. They shuffled away apprehensively, muttering among themselves something about getting caught in the scene. I didn't bother caring. Atlas 's pokeball was just a yard or so in front of me, a quick leap in and a dash out. No one would be able to catch me, certainly not the two men on the ground.

I crouched down, and sprung forward. My Mudkip was back in my hands before anyone noticed I had left the crowd. Then, just as I was turning to run for it, however, I felt something like iron clamp down on the back of my shirt.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?"

Heart pounding, I turned to look over my shoulder. It was the man who had been attacking the other for Mudkip's pokeball. A thought occurred to me, then-what if he had only been stopping him so _he_ could steal it?

"Is that your Pokemon in there?"

"Y-Yes sir." I doubted my voice could sound any more like a frightened Mareep.

"Can you prove that?"

"Y-Yes. It's my Mudkip."

"What about that other pokeball you're holding?" he asked, icy eyes boring into mine. I hastily turned away from him again, aware once more that I was holding the Wurmples pokeball. Elly's.

"A-A Wurmple."

" _What_ is going on here?!" Like the clouds parting to let the sun through, bystanders scattered as a harried Officer Jenny marched through. Her Growlithe was growling, sticking abnormally close to her legs. She tilted her head back and glared down at the three of us, planting her gloved hands on her hips. She didn't wait for us to reply. "It seems as if this is a fight. Not only in a public place, but also between trainers, is it? A _kid_ , too. Let the kid go, sir. Now."

I probably would have run for it, then and there, if the Growlithe hadn't been blocking my way.

That was how I found myself in the Jubilife police station, wondering about my phone call. Should I call my parents, or skip the middle man and call the undertaker? I was surely dead either way.

…At least I got Atlas Obscura back, right?

;D ;D ;D

"Alright, you three. Tell me the story."

Officer Jenny seated us all down in a concrete room without any windows. Actually, only the thief and I were sitting; the other man was leaning against the wall behind us sullenly, and Officer Jenny was pacing on the other side of the table. All three of us convicts were handcuffed.

One good thing, however, was that I had been allowed to keep my Pokemon-both Atlas and Elly. I didn't know which of them was actually _mine_ , but I'm sure that the nice officer would help us with that. …If her glare didn't kill me first.

"…No one's talking?"

"I don't see why we were all three arrested," the man behind me muttered. I squirmed in my chair, silently agreeing. "I was doing a public service. That man is a wanted thief, and he has a reward, right? I just wanted to turn him into the long arm of the law-and get that money."

"It wasn't a 'Dead or Alive' warrant," Jenny snapped. "You tackled him, broke one of his fingers, sprained a wrist, and caused a scene. Who knows what else happened."

"He wouldn't let go of the pokeball."

"What pokeball?"

"It was a Mudkip's. I think it belongs to the newbie." It took a few moments for it to register that he was referring to me. When it did, I shrunk down in my chair more.

"Why did _he_ have it, then?" she asked, nodding at the thief.

"I assumed he stole it. He is a _thief_."

"I traded for it, fair and square," he said, speaking up for the first time in his own defense.

"No you didn't!" I muttered darkly, glaring at him sideways. "You stole Atlas Obscura-"

" _Atlas Obscura_?" Officer Jenny repeated, blinking. I shut my mouth immediately, flushing. She sighed, rubbing her temples. "…Here, we're all civilized people here, aren't we? Why don't we take turns telling the story, and then we'll see if there's an ounce of truth in any of it."

I was chosen to go first, probably because of my age, and my apparent 'victim' label. Not that I was complaining. This was a bad enough experience; I didn't need blame, either. But I sucked it up, and told the truth, and was an honest trainer. More than either of the other two.

By the time we were all done talking-and arguing, since we naturally had conflicting reports-my stomach was growling and my throat was sore. It had to have been late, though there wasn't a clock, and my cell phone had already been confiscated.

It seemed as if the thief really was a well-known petty thief, and that the other man was out for his reward. Apparently, that was the thief's style; trade illegally until he got a rare Pokemon, and then sell it on the black market. I considered myself lucky that he was caught, even if it wound up with all of us in jail.

"Why did you three have to cause such a scene, then?" I could tell that the officer was getting tired of us. I thought (rather naively) that that was a good sign, that maybe she would let us go then. Oh, to be young and innocent.

"It wasn't intentional."

"He started it, anyway."

All three of us spent the night behind bars. My two Pokemon-or one, whichever-were confiscated at last, and I didn't get a last meal, either. I didn't bother wasting my phone call. I curled up under the thin blanket on the hard cot, vowing to never, _ever_ again get in trouble with the law. Even if it really _wasn't_ my fault.

That thief would be better off hoping that he never met me in a dark alley, either.

;D ;D ;D

The next morning, the bounty hunter and I were released. The thief wasn't. I seemed to be the only one happy with this, since the bounty hunter never got his reward, and the thief, of course, ended up in jail. It served him right, though, trying to steal _my_ Atlas.

Then, just as I was exiting the station, a thought hit me.

I looked down at the _two_ pokeballs in my hands.

"Officer Jenny!" I hollered, heading right back inside.

"What is it-oh, it's you. You're free to go, you know." She looked up at first, but her expression dulled again once she saw that it was only the kid she'd mistakenly arrested.

"This one… The Wurmple isn't… It kind of isn't mine." Now that I'd been stolen from, I didn't want to steal from others, even if it _was_ only karmic retribution. I would be sure to stay on the light side of the law for the rest of my life-or until I needed another Pokemon, maybe.

"Who does it belong to, then?"

"I… don't know?" The thief said he'd traded for Elly, so does that mean he scammed someone else?

"Here, give me the pokeball." She set it on the machine and tapped a few keys on the computer. I fidgeted nervously, rolling Atlas' ball back and forth in my hands. It seemed to take forever, and I didn't even know what kind of response I was expecting. I really didn't want the Wurmple-even if she did look like an evil little gremlin-to go back into someone's hands that weren't her rightful owner's. Plus, if the thief got her back, he'd just steal someone else's Pokemon with her. "Well, it seems as if any records of the pokeball or the Pokemon inside have been wiped. It'd be impossible to trace its original owner now."

"So… Then what?"

Officer Jenny looked at her computer screen, frowning faintly. She tapped her chin with one hand, the other hitting a few more keys. "This… It rarely happens, actually, so we don't have an official protocol. We could keep it here, and hope the owner comes back to claim it, but I doubt that would actually happen. The conman has been all over Sinnoh, so the original owner probably isn't anywhere near Jubilife. Plus, it looks as if it was a fairly newly captured Wurmple, so unless it was meant as a pet, the owner probably hadn't gotten too attached to it."

I didn't process what she was saying, not on any deeper level. I just stared, rolling Atlas' pokeball between my hands, trying to figure out what would happen to Elly. "You could give her to the television company. She can dance," I said, a bit stupidly. Jenny looked at me for a few, long moments.

"Very rarely are Pokemon happy with a career on television, unless their trainer or owner is with them. It-She-wouldn't be very happy, I'd think," she replied quietly, finally taking the pokeball off of the machine. Then, immediately, she brightened. "Let's ask."

"Huh?"

Before I could protest, the mean little Pokemon was released again, right in front of me. I edged away as Elly turned to eye me with evident disdain. Yet again, I held Atlas' pokeball out in front of me-until recent happenings kicked me mentally, and then I hid him behind my back. "See? She likes you."

"That is _like_?"

"Growlithe, ask her what she wants to happen," Jenny commanded, and the canine jumped down from the stool beside her. It sat down beside the Bug Pokemon, bushy tail wagging, and barked a few times. The Wurmple replied in a high, somewhat squeaky voice, looking back and forth between Officer Jenny and I. At one point, she even repeated her dance, much to the Growlithe and officer's delight.

When Elly was done, the Growlithe said a few things more to its owner, and then happily jumped back up in its spot. I had no idea what had just happened, aside from the dance. Apparently, Elly liked to dance. She was a mystery, except for that simple fact. It made me laugh, so I had to bite the inside of my cheek; I doubted the officer would appreciate it if I cracked up in the middle of the station.

"The Wurmple says she doesn't want to go to the television station-she would like to travel, with you. You are the closest thing she has to a trainer right now." The statement was punctuated by a backwards look from Elly. She didn't look very happy about this, but maybe her emotions were… like Elly'. Hard to read. I sure hoped so.

"… _Really_?" I asked, quite aware of the fact that I had vowed to find a grass Pokemon. Now i'm stuck with a _Wurmple_. But, like Atlas, Elly might turn out to be a gift, right? A _good_ Pokemon…

"Yes, really."

So now I had Atlas Obscura, the Mudkip whose name reminded me of sense of direction. In addition to him, now I had Elly, also, the dancing Wurmple. She and Atlas were… a surprise for me. I had never expected either of them to be on my team, just a sparse two months ago.

I would never, ever make the mistake of hoping for a super awesome Pokemon right off the bat, not ever again.

;D ;D ;D

"OH MY GOSH WE'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR TWO MONTHS."

Atlas Obscura and Elly watched as I ran around the campsite, shouting and frothing at the mouth. Okay, not really frothing, but I was still panicking.

I had been gone _two months_ already. I should have been at least in the League by now! Not wandering around, lost, in Eterna Forest. All of the wild Pokemon-save the occasional ditzy Buneary or Budew-were actively avoiding us at this point. We won against all of the wild Pokemon we came up against now.

Which was good, considering Atlas Obscura was level 16 and Elly was level 20 and has evolved into a grumpy silcoon. We were over leveled for the area, I _knew_ that, and I would gladly move on, except for that problem. The problem of us being lost.

In the past week, however, I was quite proud of the progress we'd Obscura had been distrustful of Elly at first, but that passed when she saved him when we'd gone through Route 205; there seemed to be Buizel _everywhere_. Now, the two were civil and tolerant of each other, though they still slept on opposite sides of me when not in their pokeballs.

In addition to the betterment (I hoped) of our team, we made it as far as Eterna Forest-until we got lost, that is. True, it was great training for Atlas, since he had stayed in his pokeball for nearly all of the last Route, but he was already several levels above any of the wild Pokemon _and_ had the advantage. It was hardly fair to stay there when we were strong enough to move on.

"We're moving. Come on, guys." Elly huffed and delicately twirled to face away from me, scowl firmly in place. "Okay, guy and _girl_."

Elly was a lot easier to read than Atlas Obscura was. She was almost always scowling, though, which made her expressions difficult. She did, however, smile when she danced-which was often, thank the stars. She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty (figure of speech, of course, considering she didn't _have_ hands), and while she didn't necessarily act girly, she was quick to remind me that she was, in fact, female.

We started marching in a random direction. Or rather, I marched, while Elly hopped all around, and Atlas Obscura plodded along slowly behind us. This scene was a far cry from what I had imagined when I first became a trainer.

Several hours later, I managed to figure out that we had made no progress at all, except getting hungry and tired and dirty. Which I was used to, being a trainer and all, but I was also used to _going_ places. All of the Routes so far had been pretty cut-and-dried: you left at point A, traveled a bit, and arrived at point B. This forest had a point A and no point B. Then, it promptly ate the point A, so there was absolutely _Nowhere_ to go.

"Can't you two… I don't know, find the way using your innate Pokemon senses?"

The Mudkip and Wurmple looked at me, then at each other, and then back at me. Elly cracked up and Atlas snorted out a small spray of mist. I was experienced enough to tell that even he was laughing at me.

I sighed and sat down on the nearest rock, not wanting to add more grass stains than I had to to my outfit. "You guys are terrible, I hope you both realize that. I'm your poor, defenseless, lost trainer, and you _laugh_ at me. Maybe I should trade you both away. I'm sure I could get a decent bargain, since you're both so strong from beating up baby Pokemon."

"Mu-"

"Sill!" Elly squealed, shaking her head-body, whichever-vehemently. Atlas paused, then decided he was content with letting her do the protesting, and merely nodded his agreement.

"Then don't be so cruel to your trainer. I thought Pokemon were supposed to be loving and loyal?" I asked archly. Both came over and started the process of forgiveness. This involved Atlas Obscura rubbing his head against my leg and making smoke rings, and Elly usually had to hop on my head and dance there. "Fine, fine, you two. Let's just get out of here, okay? Maybe we can catch a flying Pokemon and they can find out where we are…"

"You there!" Surprised, I sat up, only to trip over Atlas and land in the grass below. I heard Elly screaming at whoever it was, and looked up to find another human being. A trainer, probably, but the most important part was that she could help me find my way out of here! "Oh, good, you got off of the rock." The female trainer placed a hand to her forehead, sighing in relief.

"Rock? I was just sitting on it…" I looked over at it, to make sure it wasn't some sort of rock Pokemon. It wasn't; it was just a regular rock, covered in a bit of moss, surrounded by grass.

"That's the Moss Rock!" she cried shrilly.

"…Okay." It _was_ mossy. I hadn't ever heard of it, however, so if it was a shrine or something, I was probably toast. Maybe the Pokemon gods would take pity on me and only smite me a little bit.

"…You have no idea what the Moss Rock is, do you?" the female trainer asked flatly. I could only shake my head. "Well, call off your Silcoon, and I'll show you."

I realized that Elly was chewing on the pant leg of the girl, and hastily shouted, "Elly! Get _off_ of her! That's not how you treat other people." Elly reluctantly let go, hopping back over to sit protectively in front of me.

"How long have you been a trainer?" the girl asked, giving Elly space as she circled around us.

"Two months," I replied miserably.

"Did you start from around here?"

"Not really."

"Then I suppose I could forgive you for not knowing about the Moss Rock," she replied, kneeling down beside it as she reached it. The strange girl wrapped her arms around it, setting her cheek on the rock, closing her eyes.

"…Okay, thanks?" I started to gather up my things, picking up Elly to prevent her from chewing on the other trainer again. I didn't know if crazy was contagious, but I didn't want to risk it.

"Battle me."

"Excuse me?"

"Battle me," she repeated, opening her eyes. There was an icy glint in them and a mischievous smile on her face. "I need to level up my Eevee here, so he can evolve."

"Evolve? Why _here_? Why me?"

"That's the power of the Moss Rock! If an Eevee levels up in its area, it will evolve into a Leafeon. There's also another rock up north that changes one into a Glaceon." The girl jumped to her feet, reaching down to her belt for a pokeball.

"I'm not going to lose to let you evolve!"

"Fine." Just like that, the other trainer gave up, and instead looked around. "Where are all of the wild Pokemon? Anything will do at this point. Blade is _really_ close to going up a level, and I'm pretty sure even with wild Pokemon will give him the experience needed…"

"Blade?"

"My Eevee. _Sure_ you don't want to battle him?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm sure." If she was that confident, I didn't want to try. She had probably been training for ages longer than I had. I started to skitter away, uncomfortable until she got distracted by a wild Budew. She released her Eevee, and instantly I was interested again. The furry little Pokemon was _white_. I had never seen a white one before, since usually Eevee were brown. And brown Eevee were rare enough! "Hey! Your Eevee-he's not brown!"

"Of course not. Blade is _shiny_. So is his sister. Cost daddy a bundle to get them, but they were worth it," the girl replied with a proud smile, as Blade looked over his shoulder at me. Then, he bounded forward and bit at the Budew fiercely and repeatedly until it fainted. He blinked his large eyes, and sat down.

Nothing else happened.

"…Huh? But-we're close to the rock, and-Blade!" the girl squealed in delight as the Eevee started to glow a brighter white than he already was. It grew just a few inches, but otherwise slimmed down. When the glowing stopped, instead of a furry, tiny, white Eevee, there was a tan Pokemon with brilliant green accents on its ears and tail. It also seemed to have leaves growing out of it, much to Elly's amazement.

The girl happily skipped off with her new Leafeon, Elly drooling as they left. She seemed to have quite the thing for Blade, especially after he evolved. I ignored this for the most part, since I was too busy wondering if it was too late to trade her in for a Leafeon.

;D ;D ;D

Eventually, we made it out of Eterna Forest. It took two more days and the help of another trainer, though. We were all exhausted by the end of it. Mudkip was officially level 17, though, so he was close to closing the gap between he and Elly all though Elly has evolved into a bossy beautifly. That was the only silver lining I came up with, at any rate.

As we cleared the trees, all three of us saw real, un-tree-filtered sunlight for the first time in days. Elly happily started photosynthesizing right away. Blinking, Elly and I staggered into the bright light, until finally collapsing and soaking up the warm sun.

"It's good to be free," I remarked.

"Mudkip," Atlas agreed.

After we were all full of the sun, we continued along the Route again. There was almost always a path for us to follow, though sometimes it meant we had to jump off of small ledges, and eventually, we reached a bridge over the river. We had crossed the river going into Eterna Forest, so I counted this as a good sign.

Then, we found a fork in the path.

I looked left, and then forward. I could continue where I was going, or I could go left. There was a building, partially hidden behind some trees to the left. Forward, there was just more path. "…Which way, guys?"

Elly bounded up ahead, whereas Atlas waddled over to the left. This put me in a bind, since not only I was the tiebreaker, it meant I was literally having to choose between my Pokemon. "…Beau," Elly squeaked, noticing this.

"Mu," Atlas replied dully, twitching his ears.

"Beautifly!" Elly insisted, flapping her wings in frustration.

"Mu…!" Atlas said, a bit more firmly.

Soon enough, they were squabbling in earnest, and I had to pull them apart. "Stop it, you two! Fighting will get us nowhere. …Elly, why don't we go to the left? There's a building there, so there will be people. Maybe it means we can get some food." In addition to missing real sunlight, we were all sorely missing real food. Berries and grasses were all well and good, but only once in a long while. This did the trick, and she reluctantly nodded.

Off to the left we went.

Two hours later, I was stomping angrily out of the building. It was the Valley Windworks building; it was on the side of Eterna Forest that we had went in. So we had basically come back out the way we went in; we went in a giant circle. _We were no closer to Eterna than we were before_.

"Atlas lets, set the building on fire."

"Moool!" he replied, eyes as wide as I'd ever seen them. He looked shocked. It was a pretty obvious 'no'.

"Fine, you noble little thing." I rolled my eyes, and then turned to Elly. This was actually pretty hard to do, considering she was riding on my shoulder. Eventually, I settled with looking at her out of the corner of my eye, neck uncomfortably pushed to the side. "Elly, do you know any attacks that could damage this place?"

"Beau!" she replied happily, Flapping her wing's Obscura jumped in between her and the building, shaking his head fervently. Elly huffed and tried to get past him, but he blocked her at every turn.

"Atlas, get out of the way! We're trying to-ack!" He shot a mouthful of water at me, and then at Elly, sending us both running in circles as we were both exhausted. Not only from the near-death experience from our own teammate, but running around and screaming at the same time took its toll.

That night, we staggered back to the Floaroma Pokemon Center, only to be turned away; the rooms were already all taken. We then staggered back to Eterna Forest.

"Fly," Elly warned wearily, dragging her stubby little paws as she flew behind us.

"I know," I lied. I had no idea what she was talking about. Probably something about the dangers of entering the forest at night. Whatever. The problem we had the first time was that we had gotten sidetracked, looking for places to camp, or chasing wild Pokemon. This time, that wouldn't happen. It would be a straight shot through.

After all, if I was awake and conscious, I would undoubtedly remember if I had passed by that tree before or not.

…Looking back, yes, I know, it was a rather bad plan. But one cannot comprehend the forest unless one has been lost there and spat back out on the wrong side. I wanted revenge. I wanted to beat the forest. My Pokemon, however, were another story.

"You two… Return, both of you."

"Mu-"

"Beau-"

They didn't have a say in the matter.. It would be faster to press on by myself. Plus, all of the wild Pokemon would be asleep, right?

Yeah… Wrong.

I was only a few minutes by myself when a black bird flapped out of the nearest trees, squawking and pecking at my head. I tried to run from it, but ended up tripping over a sleepy Budew and making them both mad at me. I kept Atlas out with me from then on.

It was probably about midnight when we both collapsed from sleep deprivation. Probably, maybe. I wasn't sure, since I was asleep before I hit the ground. When I awoke, however, it was fairly bright out and there was a curious Pikachu sitting on my back. Atlas Obscura was snoring beside me, perfectly asleep. He even had a snot bubble.

"Pika?" the little Mouse asked, peering over upside-down to look at me. I shook my head. Or rather, attempted to, since I had a Mouse Pokemon sitting on my head. That made it pretty hard.

"Get off."

The Pikachu jumped off, beaming at me. "Pika!"

"G'night." I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep.

"Excuse me… You're lying in a patch of poison ivy… I just thought… I mean, it looks like you've been there all night, but I thought… Aren't you going to move?" The next time I opened my eyes, there was a person standing above me. "Your Pikachu has been trying to wake you for quite awhile now…"

"I don't have a Pikachu," I muttered sleepily.

"…Oh." The other person blinked a few times, and then leaned back out of my range of sight. "Well… If it's not yours… Oh, nevermind."

"You can have it if you want."

"I already have a Pokemon."

"You _can_ have more than one. I have two."

"I have more than one."

"Six?"

"No, but… I have a good team."

Well, she was doing better than I was, then. I sat up, scratching my arm. It itched for some reason. The other trainer skittered back, clutching the bottom hem of her skirt like a lifeline. She eyed me warily with tired, indigo eyes. Then she had probably been here all night, too, lost in this maze of a forest. "Do you know the way out?" I asked her.

"There are lots of ways out. It's a forest, not a labyrinth."

"The way out closest to Eterna City?"

"It's down the path. Do you know the way out to Floaroma Town?"

"It's down the path," I replied with a shrug. If she was going to be vague, then fine, I was, too. The girl looked crestfallen.

"Oh."

"It's… It's not too far from here, actually…" I added awkwardly. I turned away then, partially to hide from her sad look, and partially to wake Atlas Obscura up. He seemed oblivious to all attempts, however.

"It's about a day's walk… To Eterna, I mean. Or the exit out of the forest to Eterna…" She sighed, and then tilted her hair back. "…You can't see the clouds in the forest. That's sad, isn't it?" she mumbled dreamily, smiling.

"Uh, yeah, sad." She didn't look sad anymore. "I'm… I'm just gonna go, then."

Sticking to the path this time, it was much easier to get out of the forest. I kept itching, though, for some reason. The Pikachu who had woken me up followed me-I returned Atlas, still asleep, since it was easier than trying to wake him-for quite awhile, before giving I finally decide to catch it .

;D ;D ;D

By the time the sun was setting, I had figured out two things. The first was that I was pretty much covered in some sort of itchy rash that I had been unknowingly scratching all day, until I had several open wounds and was bleeding down my arms. The second was that Eterna City was the best sight I had ever seen. True, I was biased with gratefulness, tiredness, hungriness and the-want-to-sleep-in-a-real-bed-ness, but it was still pretty. Kind of.

Or had I gotten so bad that I was placing a city on a atlas up along with my three Pokemon? That would sure suck. I shrugged and continued walking…..

hey guys before you go I have a few things to say

SORRY for the short chapters I've been rushing through these storie like crazy so now I have decide that each chapter well been at least 8,000 to 10,000

and updates will be 2 times a week since I have to write such long chapters

any way r and r


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